On behalf of President Mahmoud Abbas, Dr. Ramzi Khouri, Member of the PLO Executive Committee and Head of the Higher Presidential Committee for Church Affairs in Palestine, together with members of the Committee, took part in the official reception of Archbishop Sevan Gharibyan of the Armenian Orthodox Church in Jerusalem. The reception was held on the occasion of Christmas and Epiphany and was attended by Bethlehem Governor Muhammad Taha Abu Alia, Bethlehem Mayor Anton Salman, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Hani Al-Hayek, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, security officials, civil society leaders, and a large gathering of Bethlehem residents.
Dr. Khouri conveyed the warm greetings of President Mahmoud Abbas and emphasized the significance of this celebration amidst the difficult circumstances faced by the Palestinian people due to the ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, despite the announcement of a ceasefire agreement.
Dr. Khouri underscored that halting the Israeli genocidal war against our people in Gaza offers a glimmer of hope that all Israeli occupation practices and crimes, including violations against Muslim and Christian holy sites and daily incursions into Palestinian cities and villages in the West Bank may cease.
Dr. Khouri emphasized that putting an end to Israel’s genocidal war against our people in Gaza offers a ray of hope that all acts of aggression of the Israeli occupation and violations, including attacks on Muslim and Christian holy sites and the ongoing incursions into Palestinian cities and villages in the West Bank, may come to a halt. He called for intensified international efforts to realize the aspirations of the Palestinian people for freedom, dignity, independence, and the establishment of a sovereign state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Dr. Khouri further emphasized that the Armenian Church and the Armenian community are an integral and deeply rooted part of Palestinian society. He commended their steadfast efforts in preserving their historical and cultural heritage, particularly in the Armenian Quarter of occupied Jerusalem, which remains under threat from systematic and extremist settlement activities aimed at domination, Judaization, and erasure of its identity.
